"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."
— Mark Twain

Monday, May 03, 2010

The End of the Beginning ... by AVI

Being the Adventures of a small snail (and an even smaller ant)

This would be a great book to read out loud to 3-4th graders! It was interesting to me so grown ups would enjoy this book too but on a different level.

This story begins where it ends and ends where it begins: in the treetop home of a rather small snail named Avon. He wants to go on an adventure. An ant goes with him. They go at a snail pace which takes a very very long time. Their friendship grows and they are silly. The whole journey is the length of a branch but it does turn into a big adventure.

I love the word play all over this book. The fable could really start some great discussions. I will read it to my kids out loud tomorrow and see what happens. The pictures are simple but great too! There are about 143 pages but I read it in a half of an hour.

My favorite part is: the two snails coming at each other for a big battle! And when the worm falls asleep and when he wakes up he can't remember which end is his head.

This is a great story of friendship. They leave home to find home! Loved it!